Printing machine



Jan. 5 1926. 1,568,919

yv. RATCLIFF ET AL PRINTING MACHINE Filed August 2'7, 1921 4 Sheets-$heet 1 Jan; 5 1926.

- mvs/yrons @1 2 ZVaZZaae w RATCLIFF ET AL.

PRINTING momma Flled August 27. 1921 4 sneets sheet z Jan. 5 1926. v 1,568,919

W. RATCLIFF ET AL PRINTING MACHINE med August 21, 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 W. RATCZLIFF ET AL.

PRINTING MACHINE Filed August 27. 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Jan. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE... v

WILLIAM RATGLIFE Ann HUGH WALLACE, or Lennon. Ene anD, AssIcNons TO T E l vrotroRY-Krnnnn rnrn'rrne Macrame company ENGLAND, a com any OF GREAT nnx rarn.

M TED 0F max-awe.

PRINTING MACHINE.

Application filed August 27, 1921. Serial No. 496,168

TO ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, \VTL I'A BATCLTFF, a sub ect of the Kmg or Great Britain, and

a resident of Tulse Hill, London, S. .2,

England, and Huang "YALIACE, a subject of the "King of Great Britain, and a resident of18 Sonierfield Road, Finsbury Park, London. N. l, England, have invented anew or Improved Printing Machine, of. which the following-is the specification.

The object of this invention is to provide v a printing machine of great simplicity, com

pactness and cheapness of manufacture, and

of a greatly reduced weight and size as com-v 1 paredv with lithographic printing machines hitherto known.

The flatbed machine as hitherto widely used. occupies at least twice the spaceof the machine according to the present invention and the weight is at least twiceas much and the Work done by it is we claim only about half asmuch in-a given time. i

The hitherto known rotarymachine which comprises a continuously rotating cylinder, is not-made to do short runs on account of thedifliculty and trouble and time involved for the inking process and the like, and in this machine the damping arrangement is not as satisfactory as on the flat bed ma chine hitherto used. In the knownrotary machine also the making ready from one,

come into contact with its required co-opcrating element duringa portion ofits os-v cillation. H i i The cylinder is provided with a toothed wheel secured upon the same shaft adapted to gear with a quadrant or curved rack which is, caused to operate *by means of a link and gear wheels as afterward described, to providethe required movement of oscil lation or. partial rot tion. of hev aid cy1inder and thereby bring into operative position for. engagement in succession the necessary co -operative elements for print ng.

Further details of construction and mproved mechanism of the said machine. to

effect, the operation of our novel method and arrangement will be apparent by a reference to the drawings attached hereto which illustrate the preferred mode of carrying our invention into effect.

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of the machine according to our invention.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation ofthe machine.

Fig. 3 is a separate view of the cylinder and its, operating mechanism without the frame.

Fig. 4 is a front view of-thecylinder and its operating mechanism. c Fig. 5 1s a section of the cylinder. i

Fig. 6. is a fragmental View illustrating the connection between one of the driven gears and the blanket cylinder; and,

Fig. 7 is a view taken at right angles thereto.

' A is the oscillating cylinder secured to the shaft A which is mountedin bearings fitted in the frame plates B, B

Securedon the shaft A is the gear wheel A which meshes with the teeth of the quadrant or,

rack C. The quadrant C forms;p art of a bell crank lever D, fulcrumed at D, the lower arm I) of which lever has connected thereto the link E which is fitted to the crank pin E rigidly wheels E E one of which is mounted on a pin and the other on the shaft E fitted in bearings in the frame plates. The gear wheels E E are drivenby the pinion Ff secured to the gear which is mounted on the parallel shaft E. The shaft E? has also mounted thereon the pulleys E by which the machine is driven. The cylinders F and G are mounted on shafts F 2' and G respectively fitted n ad- F isadapted to engage the cylinder A durtion only in a similar manner to that in flat bed litho machine.

.justable bearings as shown, Fig. 1, secured in the frame plates B and Bi. "lhecylmder,

The shaft F carrying the cylinder Fr has I loosely mounted thereon a gear wheel E! which meshes with the gear 'vv-h eel A? fix? e ly ec d t0 h haft A?) an he h e G wh ch is loosely eaned ease the a F fixed to the shaft F and this gear F meshes with the gear G.

Pivotally mounted upon a pin b secured in a suitably formed boss on the gear wheel F is a pawl R (see Figs. 3, 6 and 7) provided with lateral projections R and R The projection R is adapted to travel in a guiding slot S in the flange of the wheel F while the projection R of the pawl R is adapted to engage the diametric face of a tapered lug or projection T secured to the outer face of one end plate of the segmental blanket cylinder F. From this, it is obvious that when the gear wheel F is moved in a clockwise direction, the pawl projection B will abut against the lug T and the cylinder F will be caused to move therewith or rotated in a clockwise direction. As the gear F oscillates, the pawl R will not engage the lug T when the gear moves in anti-clockwise direction, and therefore, this connection between the oscillating gear F and the cylinder F will cause the latter to move in one direction only.

lVhen the gear A moves in an anti-clockwise direction, the blank portion of the segmental gear F registers with the gear A and the pawl R carried by the gear F moves away from the projection T; thus, no movement will be transmitted to the cylinder F. After one complete revolution in this anti-clockwise direction, the pawl R after being lifted by the camber of the projection T falls into place behind it and on the gear F changing ,its direction and again moving the cylinder forward until the teeth of the gear F mesh with the gear A, which will cause the cylinder G to move also in one direction as the gear meshes with the gear F The object of the duplicated gear wheels on either end of the shafts A and F is that, during the actual process of printing, that is, when the rubber blanket of the cylinder F engages and is in contact with the type or printing surface H of the cylinder A, the maximum torsional power is'required to be transmitted to the cylinder gears F and A not through the medium of the pawl R, although this is still engaged. In the absence of these gear wheels, this pawl would be called upon to take the whole strain. In this connection, it is pointed out that when the pawl R alone moves the cvlinder forward, the surfaces of the cylinders F and A are not in contact, and therefore, apart from hearing friction, there is little resistance-to motion. i

When it is desired to run the machine light and to cease the printing process, the cam lever V mounted 011 the shaft 0 is lifted into engagement with the pawl R, in such manner that the said pawl will ride on the cam lever after engaging the camber of the lug T and will thus be prevented from dropping into engagement with the driving face of the said lug. No engagement will then be effected between the gear wheel F and the cylinder F, and the gear wheel F being, in this position, out of engagement with the right hand spur wheel A", the cylinder F will remain stationary during both directions of rotation of the gears A and F A hand lever Q is provided for operating the cam lever V.

The cylinder A is formed of segments mounted in two discs one at each end.

The cylinder F is provided with a rubber blanket which as it revolves in contact with the cylinder A, when moving in one direction takes the print off the printing surface H to which part is secured the plate having the printing matter on it, the surface H forming a segi'nent of the cylinder A, (see Fig. The cylinder G carries the paper and presses it on to the blanket on the cylinder F. I is the slab which carries ink to the rollers I The rollers I roll over and distribute ink to the printing plate on the segment H. The rollers K distribute ink evenly on the inking slab I. The segment L (see Figs. 1 and 5) forms a damping board which damps the rollers L and the rollers I1 damp the plate on the printing segment H during the oscillation of the cylinder A. From the support J the paper is fed from boards to the cylinder G for printing.

Referring to Fig. l, M is a receptacle for ink which supplies the roller M. The roller M conveys its ink to the roller M in contact therewitl'i. The cam boss N on the shaft E" during its rotation moves the lever N and thereby by the link N operates the bellcrank lever M by the medium of the bellcrank lever N. This n'iovcment brings the roller M into contact with the inking slab I when the slab I is brought by the rotation of the cylinder A opposite the roller M to feed ink thereto.

lVith regard to the process of operation of the oscillating cylinder A carrying the type or printing surface H, the ink slab I, and the damping board L, let it he assumed that the operation commences from the position of maximumoscillation to the left or in an anti-clockwise direction. In this position, the printing surface H has passed under the damping rollers L once; the inking surface I has distributed ink to the ink ing rollers I having first taken ink from the roller M and had the said ink evenly distributed over its surface by the rollers K.

a The segmentalcylindervFgcarrying the ubber blanketpartially round its circumference is at its point ofmaximum rotat on.

The pawl R mounted on the wheel F is about to, move awayfrom the projection T securedtothe cylinder F and the blanket or toothless segment of thegear wheel F ispresented to the teeth of the right hand: wheel A The circumferentially arranged segmentrforming therubber blanket of the in a clockwise direction, the type orprinting plate'H passes again under. the damping rollers L which dampthe printing surface, and then under the inking rollers I obtaining ink therefrom. -Thelink slab I moves round until it; engages the' ink roller h/ 2 y from which it obtains afresh supply of ink;

the damping board L passes under the damping rollers L and moistens the surface thereof. During this process as before stated, the: cylinders F and G remain stationary.

The direction of rotation now changes. The loosely mounted gear wheel F having been given a complete revolution, the pawl R again drops into engagement with the lug T and on the cylinder A, commencing to rotate to the left, the said pawl moves the cylinder F in a clockwise direction, caus ing the teeth of the gear wheel F to once again move into engagement with the teeth of the gear wheel A and the cylinders F and G are rotated thereby. The printing plate now moves forward again passing under the ink rollers I and contacting with the blanket of the cylinder F transfers an imprint from its surface to the said blanket, which in turn, transfers the said imprint to the paper which passes between the cylinder G and the said blanket.

The cylinder A now moves to its maximum position of left hand rotation under the damping rollers L and the cylinders F and G having been given a complete rotation are then disengaged from the driving gears in the manner before described and remain stationary. The cycle is then ready to be repeated.

The other parts shown on the figures are of the usual kind employed in other printing machines, they do not constitute part of this invention and are not therefore referred to. p

In comparison with both the slab bed machine and the usual rotary machines it will be obvious that not only is this machine much simpler having far fewer working parts and being correspondingly cheaper to manufacture but the power required to 0perate the machine according to the present invention will be veryvconsiderablyless than either of the said known machines. 7 Our methodiand construction also by (itspensing with a large; number ofrollersas employedin the rotary machines and otherparts andappliances necessary to move the parts out of contact with the. rotating cylinder in succession, not. only provides "a cheaper, snnplen and hghtenmachme but also reducesthe'power requiredlto driveit." hat we do claim as our invention anddesireyto secure by Letters Patent is Inaunachine of the class described, a

means tooscillate saidcylindcr, said cylin der being provided with segmental portions a step by step movement of rotation in one direction, and an impression roller against which the transfer roller bears.

2. In a machine of the class described, a shaft, a cylinder mounted upon the shaft, a gear fixed on said shaft, a segmental gear meshing with the first mentioned gear, a rotary crank having a radius less thanthe radius of the segmental gear, a link connecting the segmental gear to the rotary crank, said cylinder being provided with segmental portions spaced about the cylinder and constituting respectively a printing plate, a damping surface, and an inking surface, a transfer roller, means operal shaft, a cylinder mounted-. upon the shaft, 1

shaft, a cylinder mounted upon the shaft,

a gear fixed on said shaft, 3. segmental gear meshing with the first mentioned gear, a rotary crank having a radius less than the radius of the segmental gear, a link 7 connecting the segmental gear to the rotary crank, said cylinder being provided with segmental portions spaced about the cylinder and constituting respectively a printing plate, a damping surface, and an inking surface, a transfer roller, means operable through the oscillation of the cylinder to actuate said transfer roller in a step by step movement of rotation in one direction, said means including a pawl adapted at times to engage said transfer roller, an interrupted gear operatively connected to said cylinder and carrying said pawl, means for intermittently disengaging the pawl and transfer roller, and an impression roller against which the transfer roller bears.

4. An improved lithographic printing machine comprising a main cylinder having damping, inking, and printing surfaces arranged thereupon, a blanket cylinder, means for transmitting an oscillating movement to said main cylinder, and means whereby upon the oscillation of said main cylinder said blanket cylinder will be caused to rotate in one direction.

5. An improved lithographic printing machine con'iprising a main cylinder, the periphery of said main cylinder being divided into damping, inking and printing surfaces, means for transmitting an oscillating movement to said main cylinder, a blanket cylinder arranged above said main cylinder, an impression cylinder, and means operatively connecting said blanket and impression cylinder with said main cylinder whereby said blanket and impressions cylinders will be caused to intermittently move in one direction, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

6. A lithographic printing machine comprising a frame, a drive shaft mounted within said frame, a driven shaft mounted within said frame and above said drive shaft, means for operatively connecting said driven shaft with said driving shaft whereby said driven shaft may oscillate, a cylinder carried by said driven shaft, said cylinder being provided with damping, inking and printing surfaces, a blanket and impression cylinder supported within said frame and arranged above said main cylinder, means for operatively connecting said impression and blanket cylinder with said main cylinder, inking, and damping rollers supported within said frame and adapted to contact with the inking, damping and printing surfaces of said main roller.

WILLIAM RATCLIFF. HUGH VVALLAOE. 

